Ode To The Moon

 Art, colour, craft, decorative, Designer-Maker, exhibitions, fun things, homewares, inspirational, interiors, nice things, pattern, product design, shopping, surfaces  No Responses »
Apr 102013
 

Moonish 1977 Ode To The Moon

sunspots Ode To The Moon

Moonish music Ode To The Moon

One of my highlights of New York’s Architectural Digest Home Design Show, which I attended as part of Modenus’ BlogTourNYC, was this stand showing the work of Brooklyn-based designer-maker company, Moonish. Marine-grade plywood is dyed, silk-screen printed and cut down into 6″sq tiles with magnetic backing. The wood grain is visible through the dye, allowing for the natural qualities to show, giving the decorative tiles a warmth not usually associated with their ceramic cousins. Their application also differs, no messy grouting required here, this wall treatment is purely magnetic. Allowing design flexibility and a freedom from the usual constraints of surface decorations, you can chop and change as often as you rotate your footwear, should you wish. This also makes them reusable, a detail that is rapidly becoming the most attractive USP a product can have, in an age of economic and environmental uncertainty. All of these positive pointers and we haven’t even got on to how good looking these little wooden squares are. Well, I don’t really need to say anything, they do all that’s necessary for themselves. Just look at them! And if you tire of diamonds, change it to chevrons, …if you bore of chevrons, …change to diamonds. So much to love, so little time (such good colours too). Go get them.

From top to bottom: ’1977′, ‘Sunspots’ and ‘Music’ designs.

Half-drop, Brick, Tossed

 Art, collaborations, colour, decorative, illustrators, pattern, textiles  No Responses »
Feb 152013
 

Pattern foundry Half drop, Brick, Tossed

You lot sniggering in the back row those are names of types of pattern and the formulation repeat of those patterns, nothing naughty or rude. This website is worth a quick squizz for a variety of nice printed textile design on The Pattern Foundry website, it won’t take you long as it’s not very comprehensive, but still nice. It’d be great if it had been extended and updated, it appears that it hasn’t for a number of years, which is a shame for it has great scope for hours of visual pleasure. Alas, this is our lot, still, some lovely patterns and a good mix. Enjoy them.

Le Silence Sous L’écorce

 animation, Art, colour, fun things, illustrators, nice things, pattern  No Responses »
Dec 102012
 

the silence beneath the bark / le silence sous l’écorce from joanna lurie on Vimeo.

I can’t quite decide whether I find this totally weird and creepy, or just funny and quirky. Granted their smiles are slightly sinister but there’s something quite sweet about them too. I wanted a video filled with snow and it’s certainly that. Le silence sous l’écorce means the silence beneath the bark and it’s a video about just that. The soundtrack is non-stop creaking. But what really appealed about this were the colours. The smudgey midnight blues of the trees against the orange and reds of the creatures, both of which are almost smothered by the white of the snow are fantastic. It’s a long video so you might want to wait until you get home to watch it. I would hate to be the cause of trouble at work, lord knows I have to tell myself off often enough for getting sidetracked. Funny little video, but the colours are marvellous and are used beautifully to tell the tale. Enjoy this eery but heart-warming winter wonderland.

Animation by Joanna Lurie

Alternative Wrap

 Art, collaborations, colour, decorative, Designer-Maker, illustrators, London, nice things, paper, pattern, shopping, shops, stationery  No Responses »
Dec 052012
 

YCN wrap1 Alternative Wrap

On a post-lunch stumble with my jolly good friend Elias from Social Nesting, he took me to his new favourite treasure trove, YCN. Oh hello. A lovely mishmash of stuff, all beautifully designed and presented, you’ll be finding yourself craving all sorts of things you never knew you wanted. I think that’s the best sort of shop. I like to be surprised and fear predictability like I fear getting old. If you’re on the look out for some tasty wrap, and I don’t mean lunchables, then here’s the place. Three different designs by three different designers, you’ll bound to coo over at least one of them, if not all. I love ‘em all. At the top is ‘Cyclists’ by Evgenia Barinova, in the middle is ‘Stationery’ by Jamie Brown, and last, but not least, is ‘People & Animals’ by Daniel Frost. Lovely stuff.

A single sheet of wrapping paper is £2.50, A2 in size and printed on a 130gsm Cyclus Offset stock, available on-line and in-store at YCN, 72, Rivington Street, London.

A Sweet And Sour Palette

 ceramics, colour, decorative, Designer-Maker, homewares, inspirational, interiors, kitchen, nice things, pattern, product design, shopping, textiles  No Responses »
Nov 072012
 

Lindsey Lang A Sweet And Sour Palette

Zingy and zangy, fresh and clean, these colours are colours of popping candy, of sweet and sour, they’re bright and dark, pastel and moody. So many contradictions and yet in the midst of all the fighting there is peace and tranquility, and here resides Lindsey Lang’s products. Her little stall at this year’s Design Junction, was in a little corner at the back, but has stayed on mind since. It’s not every day that I get to sing the merits and joy that a trivets brings me but today, I do. Lindsay’s trivets (second row down) are her pièce de résistance. The colours and patterns come together in this simply designed and oft overlooked piece of kitchen equipment, in such a way to be quite a thing of pure joy. As you can tell, I’m a fan. She does other stuff too, for those that aren’t such ‘riveting’ triveting enthusiasts.

Get A Bit Of Kuboaa On Your Walls

 colour, decorating, decorative, Designer-Maker, homewares, inspirational, interiors, nice things, paper, pattern, product design  No Responses »
Jul 192012
 

kuboaa Get A Bit Of Kuboaa On Your Walls

I’m very glad my friend and colleague, Charlotte Duckworth, reminded me about this company for I had clean forgotten all about them. Shame on me, for they are a splendid purveyor of fine wallpapers. Bringing the traditional bang-up-to-date with contemporary colours and modern twists, Kuboaa supply a fine line in postmodernist furnishings. Headed by illustrator, Andrew Hardiman, the company was created in 2003, not long after Hardiman graduated from the Royal College of Art where he studied and completed his MA. Obviously multi-talented, Hardiman may well have turned his hand to anything but luckily for us he didn’t. Us being the lovers of paper and internal spaces, we got him instead. And thank the lord, for he brings forth much happiness with his bright hues and bold patterns (Hardiman, that is, not the lord. Well, I suppose one might argue that the lord does too but this is neither the place nor the blog for it). This is my collection of personal favourites, as you can see, no theme or recurring trend. The ranges couldn’t be more different from each other if they tried. And that’s a good thing for it means that Kuboaa will keep you on your toes with surprises with every new collection. Let’s hear an ‘amen’ for that.

Product details, from left to right, top to bottom: 1.) ‘Sequoia Wellington‘ in Overcast Blue (K3SW06), Repeat: 530mm, 2.) ’Ginko‘ in Braken Lagoon (K3GK05), Repeat: 530mm, 3.)‘Fine Apple‘ in Apple (K2F02), Repeat: 530mm, 4.) ‘Fuchsia and Hummingbird‘ in Soft Blue (K2A04), Repeat: 600mm,  5.) ‘Allumette‘ in Broad Bean (KUAL01), Repeat: 540mm, 6.) ’Tulong‘ in Teeboo (KUTU01), Repeat: 195mm, 7.) ‘Hepburn‘ in Light London Red (K3HE02), Repeat: 530mm, 8.) ‘Rhododendron‘ in black (K3RH06), Repeat: 530mm, £57.50 per roll,  Roll Size: 10mx52cm

 

Bringing The Summer Indoors

 ceramics, collaborations, colour, decorating, decorative, Designer-Maker, homewares, interiors, London, nice things, pattern, product design, shopping, shops, textiles  No Responses »
Jul 182012
 

Neisha Crosland Bringing The Summer Indoors

I’m on a bit of a collaborative roll this week as this sublime selection of tiles is the result of yet another creative pairing between De Ferranti tiles and textile designer Neisha Crosland. The ‘Florentine‘ collection has been developed from a recent collection of wallpaper and has been inspired by wooden parquet floor patterns and architectural motifs. The range sees a series of four geometric patterns in rich earthy tones, perfect for late summer/ early Autumn redecoration plans. These are handmade encaustic tiles which means that the pattern is formed in the construction of the tile, the design is not painted on, thus it never can wear away. Made from cement these tiles can be used anywhere, indoors or out, floor or wall. The gentle pastel-hued colours are reminiscent of a dusty hot summer in southern Europe or Northern Africa which is something we could all do with a bit of. If the ‘dusty’ look isn’t for you the tiles can be transformed into sleek glossy slabs with an application of wax. This summer truly sees the extension of the make-do-and-mend trend; make your own summer indoors with this latest offering from De Ferranti. Just add a picnic.

Product details: 20cm x 20cm, £6 per tile or £150 a sq metre (not inc. VAT)

De Ferranti can be found on-line and at: 583, King’s Road, Chelsea, London, SW6 2EH. Tel: 020 7384 4424

images with thanks to Sheila Fitzjones PR

The United Front Of Unlikeliness

 Art, collaborations, colour, decorative, fashion, London, nice things, pattern, product design, shopping, shops, textiles  No Responses »
Jul 172012
 

Nike x Liberty The United Front Of Unlikeliness

If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have said a collaboration between international sports-wear giant, Nike and London’s favourite trademark, Liberty, the most unlikely thing ever and chortled in your face. This year? Well, I’ll eat my Nikeys. I’m a north-London kid and by that, I mean I went to school in north London and I need not explain the reason I mention this to any other north London schooled kid. For it is legendary that ALL north Londoners worth their salt wear Nikeys. It’s like bread and butter, fish and chips, schools and fashion tribes. It’s not of my doing so don’t blame me. I turned up on a shoot a few years back, in a dreadful panic for I had spilled coffee on a brand new pair. The home economist guessed that I must be one, for I had displayed very similar traits to that of her boyfriend, also north London schooled (yes, it also turned out that we shared friends). But I digress, for this is not a blog for reminiscing, it’s for trumpeting the glory that is Nike and Liberty print. They have, for sure, hit a glorious nail on the head with this ingenious collaborative effort. I just love them. They’ve been out for a while now but since they have released a new range in new fabrics, I need to get a shifty on if I want a pair. I thought that I’d put away the Nikeys for outside of the gym but no, I’m in love.

from left to right, top to bottom: Sport Red Liberty Print Free 5.0 Trainers, £90, Imperial Purple Liberty Print Hyperclave High tops, £75, Yellow Liberty Print Blazer Trainers, £75, Imperial Purple Liberty Print Free 5.0 Trainers, £90, Red Liberty Print Dunk Sky Hi Sport Trainers, £75 (currently out of stock), University Gold Liberty Print Free 5.0 Trainers, £90

Dear Prudence

 colour, decorative, Designer-Maker, exhibitions, homewares, interiors, London, nice things, paper, pattern, product design, shops, textiles  No Responses »
Jun 282012
 

Rachel Powell Dear Prudence

Looking at her work and her new online shop (went live today), you wouldn’t believe that Rachel Powell only graduated as a print designer a year ago. She was part of New Designers 2011 at The Business Design Centre in London, and this year sees Rachel returning to New Designers (part two) as part of the ‘One Year On’ where she will be launching her new wallpaper collection. It currently features two designs; ‘Woodstock’ (top right) and ‘Prudence’ (top left) available in the colour ways seen in the bottom image. It’s a strong beginning which hopefully signals the way she intends to continue, and strong she will have to be to make room for herself in an already competitive area of design that is filled with numerous well-established designer-maker brands. Not content with playing with wallpaper alone, she also has a charming range of pendant lights and even has a tea towel or two. For those of you looking for a pared-down contemporary take on a midcentury style that’s a little bit more sophisticated and a little less shouty, then this is your gal. I shall look forward to seeing the next range of designs and colours.

‘Woodstock’ and ‘Prudence’ both £68 per 10m roll, available to buy on her website. Rachel also offers a bespoke colour-matching service, £80 per 10m roll, minimum order 4 rolls.

Pretty Pattern and Print

 books, colour, decorative, Designer-Maker, inspirational, nice things, pattern, textiles, texture  No Responses »
May 222012
 

Pattern Orla Kiely Pretty Pattern and Print

This hard-backed book is an absolute must for all Orla Kiely fans. Her work is now instantly recognisable and practically a house-hold brand. She was at the forefront of the resurgence of 70′s style patterns, colours and designs in both fashion and interiors which has taken the country by storm infiltrating even the most unexpected corners. Pattern is rammed full of information, tales of childhood, her university days, the learning of her trade and with plenty of colour photos of her patterns (from the well-known to the lesser-known), catalogue photo-shoot imagery, product shots and even childhood photos. This is the perfect book for anyone not initiated with much colour theory or knowledge of textiles. As a textiles graduate I’m always pleased when someone becomes celebrated for their textile design rather than a product (Cath Kidston/ Lisa Stickley/ Margo Selby) bringing the art of fabric to the forefront. We are surrounded by textiles whether we realise it or not, most of which is taken for granted (seat belts, bus seat fabric, astronaut suits) and overlooked. This gives you a very good grounding in all things textile designing-related; colour, pattern (obviously), fabric, fabric construction and fashion. A good ‘dip in and enjoy’ whilst drinking your coffee on a Sunday morning, informative without being too demanding, pretty without being too surface-based. Ideal coffee table tome.

Orla Kiely snaps Pretty Pattern and Print

Pattern by Orla Kiely

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Conran Octopus Ltd (6th September 2010)
  • Language English
  • ISBN: 9781840915532
  • Price: GBP 25
  • Product Dimensions: 279 x 240 x 38 mm
pixel Pretty Pattern and Print
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